Walla township, is with his brothers operating forty-four hundred
acres of fine land. He is a native son of Walla Walla county and has
resided here throughout his entire life. He was born September 24,
1874, of the marriage of Jacob and Louise (Buroker) Kibler, natives
respectively of Virginia and Iowa. The father removed to Missouri when
a young man and in the early '50s made the long journey overland to
California, where he resided for five years. In 1858 he came to Walla
Walla, Washington, and for some time worked as a farm hand. He then
took up land on Mill creek but for several years gave the greater part
of his time and attention to freighting by ox team. Subsequently, when
the country became more thickly settled and there was not so much
need for freighting supplies from a distant market town, he began the
cultivation of his land. His farming operations yielded him a good
profit and he acquired additional land, being at the time of his death
the owner of fifteen hundred acres. He made excellent improvements upon
his place and was one of the substantial men of the county. He passed
away in 1908 and is survived by his wife, who has reached the age of
sixty-six years. Five of the six children born to their union survive.
Charles F. Kibler passed the days of his boyhood and youth in his
native county and attended the district schools in the acquirement of
his education. Through working for his father he received thorough
training in the best methods of farming and stock raising and on
attaining his majority he began farming on his own account. He and
his brothers have added to their holdings from time to time and now
own forty-four hundred acres of good land finely improved. They have
systematized their work and conduct their ranch in the same careful
manner that a business man manages his interests. Their progressiveness
and good judgment are manifested in the excellent return which they
receive from their land and they have never had occasion to regret
their choice of an occupation.
Charles F. Kibler was married in 1898 to Miss Marie Clodius, a native
of Illinois and a daughter of H. F. and Catherine Clodius, who removed
to Walla Walla county in 1881 and are now residents of Waitsburg. Mr.
and Mrs. Kibler have a son, Albert F., who was born October 21, 1900,
and is still at home.
Mr. Kibler casts his ballot in support of the men and measures of
the democratic party but has never sought office as a reward for his
loyalty. He is thoroughly imbued with the characteristic western spirit
of enterprise and optimism, and any project for the benefit of his
county or state receives his heartiest approval and most energetic
support.
ALLEN H. REYNOLDS.
Allen H. Reynolds occupies an enviable position in professional and
financial circles as a leading lawyer of Walla Walla and as the
president of the Farmers Savings Bank. He was born January 24, 1869,
in the city where he still makes his home, his parents being Almos
H. and Lettice J. (Clark) Reynolds, who are mentioned at length on
another page of this work. He has spent his entire life in Walla Walla,
acquiring his early education in a private school conducted by the
Rev. P. B. Chamberlain. He afterward matriculated in Whitman College
and thus laid broad and deep the foundation upon which to build the
superstructure of professional learning. When his collegiate course was
completed he decided upon the practice of law as a life work and then
entered the law department of the Boston University, from which he was
graduated with the class of 1893. Soon afterward he returned to his
native city, where he opened an office and entered upon the practice
of law, becoming associated with W. H. Kirkman. Some time later that
partnership was dissolved and he joined his brother under the firm
style of Reynolds Brothers, but in the spring of 1900 he entered into
partnership with Andrew J. Gillis in a relationship that continued
for some time. He is now a partner of Grant S. Bond, with offices
at No. 6½ Main street. His success in a professional way affords
the best evidence of his capabilities in this line. He is a strong
advocate with the jury and concise in his appeals before the court.
Much of the success which has attended him in his professional career
is undoubtedly due to the fact that he prepares his cases with great
thoroughness and must be convinced of the absolute justice of his
client's cause. Aside from his activities in the profession of law,
Mr. Reynolds is well known in banking circles, having served as vice
president of the First National Bank of Walla Walla until November,
1913. At the present time he is president of the Farmers Savings Bank,
having succeeded the late W. P. Winans, who had been president for
twenty-eight years.
On the 7th of November, 1894, Mr. Reynolds was married to Miss Fanny
Kirkman, a daughter of William H. and Isabella Kirkman, well known
residents of this city, where Mrs. Reynolds was born. They have become
parents of three children: William Allen, born November 19, 1895;
Almos, born May 19, 1898; and Ruth Sarah, born February 3, 1901.
Mr. Reynolds is treasurer and one of the trustees of Whitman College
and has been the president of the Young Men's Christian Association
since its organization. There is no plan or movement for the benefit
and upbuilding of the city in which he is not helpfully concerned,
standing at all times for progress and improvement in municipal as well
as in private affairs.
HENRY OSTERMAN.
Henry Osterman, a member of the firm of Osterman & Siebert, leading
architects of Walla Walla, and one whose efforts along professional
lines have found expression in the erection of some of the finest
buildings not only in this city but elsewhere in the state, was born in
Germany, about three miles from Essen, on the 20th of January, 1862, a
son of William and Mary (Wusthoff) Osterman, both of whom spent their
entire lives in Germany, where the father followed the occupations of
farming and milling.
Their son, Henry Osterman, was reared under the parental roof and
acquired a college education in Essen, Germany. He served three years
in the German army and after reaching his majority took up the study
of architecture in Dusseldorf, Germany. In May, 1889, he decided
to try his fortune in the new world, hoping here to find excellent
professional opportunities. He accordingly came to the United States
and on the 15th of June of that year he arrived in Walla Walla,
Washington, where he has since made his home and practiced his
profession. Having little knowledge of the English language and of
building conditions in this country, which he found somewhat different
from those in his native land, he did not immediately apply himself to
architectural work but became associated with building operations and
for a time worked as a carpenter. Shortly afterward, however, he took
up contracting and building on his own account and was prominently
identified with building operations for eight years. In 1899 he began
the practice of his profession, opening an architect's office in the
old Baker-Boyer building. He associated with him in this undertaking
Victor E. Siebert, who was a former employe of Mr. Osterman and
had later gone to the east, where he was graduated from the Boston
School of Technology in 1912. The following year he was admitted to
a partnership, forming the present firm of Osterman & Siebert. Among
the many buildings for which Mr. Osterman has drawn the plans and also
superintended the erection are the courthouse, the city hall, the Young
Men's Christian Association building, the high school building, the
Jefferson, the Green Park and the Sharpstein schools, the city library
and practically all the important business and office buildings in the
city, together with many of the finer residences. All these stand as
monuments to the enterprise, the skill and the professional ability of
Mr. Osterman, whose thorough preparatory training and subsequent study
and experience have placed him in the front ranks among the architects
of the northwest.
In 1902 Mr. Osterman was united in marriage to Miss Geneva Cooney, of
Coon Rapids, Iowa, and to this marriage have been born five children,
Bernardina, Henrietta, Hugo, Ruth and Betty.
Mr. Osterman gives his political endorsement to the republican party.
Fraternally he is connected with Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, F. & A.
M.; Walla Walla Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M.; Washington Commandery, No. 1,
K. T.; the Consistory of Spokane; and El Katif Temple, A. A. O. N. M.
S., also of Spokane, while both he and his wife are connected with the
Order of the Eastern Star. He is also identified with Trinity Lodge,
I. O. O. F., and both he and his wife are consistent members of the
Congregational church, guiding their lives according to its teachings.
Mr. Osterman has never had occasion to regret his determination to come
to the new world, for here he has found the business opportunities
which he sought and in their utilization has made steady progress. Not
only does he rank with the leading architects of Washington, but is
also a prominent figure in financial and commercial circles. He was
one of the organizers of the Third National Bank, of which he is now
a director, and he is also one of the organizers and a member of the
board of directors of the Gardner Company, which owns and controls
Walla Walla's largest mercantile establishment. His identification
with these interests is the expression of his well directed energy and
thrift, his close application and his persistency of purpose, ever
guided by a laudable ambition. Step by step he has worked his way
upward and his course should serve to inspire others who must start out
in life empty-handed. The wise use which he has made of his time, his
talents and his opportunities has placed him in the creditable position
which he fills today in business and professional circles of Walla
Walla.
ALMOS H. REYNOLDS.
LETTICE J. REYNOLDS.
Almos H. Reynolds was for many years one of the prominent financiers
of the northwest, becoming a factor in the establishment of the first
banking business in Walla Walla and figuring for many years as one of
the principal stockholders of the First National Bank. He was born
in Madrid, St. Lawrence county, New York, October 21, 1808, and in
early life learned the millwright's trade. In 1838, when a man of
thirty years, he removed westward to Illinois and subsequently became
a resident of Iowa, where he remained until 1850. He then crossed
the plains to California, attracted by the gold discoveries on the
Pacific coast, and in May, 1859, he came to Walla Walla, where he
resided until his demise, which occurred thirty years later, or on
the 21st of April, 1889. He was prominently identified with milling
interests in this section, erecting many mills throughout the territory
of Washington, two of them being in the immediate vicinity of Walla
Walla. He also built and for several years owned a woolen mill at
Dayton. He was associated with Dr. J. H. Day in establishing the first
banking business in Walla Walla, opening a private banking institution,
which they carried on under the firm style of Reynolds & Day. He was
alert and energetic, constantly watchful of opportunities pointing to
success. Eventually he became one of the principal stockholders in the
First National Bank and was largely instrumental in its organization.
Mr. Reynolds was a man of keen insight which enabled him to readily
recognize a favorable business situation and his laudable ambition
prompted its immediate use. Whatever he undertook he carried forward
to successful completion and the integrity of his business methods was
above question.
[Illustration: ALMOS H. REYNOLDS]
[Illustration: MRS. LETTICE J. REYNOLDS]
On the 23d of May, 1861, Mr. Reynolds was united in marriage to Mrs.
Lettice J. (Millican) Clark, the widow of Ransom Clark, who first
crossed the plains to Oregon with Dr. Whitman in 1843. She was born
in Canehill, Arkansas, October 3, 1830, and received her education
in her native town. In 1843 the family joined the Whitman train and
after a journey of weary months reached Oregon. The following year the
Millican family settled near the town of Lafayette, Yamhill county,
and there in 1845 Lettice J. Millican became the wife of Ransom Clark.
Following the death of her husband in 1859, she made the journey to
Walla Walla in order to make arrangements for subsequently taking up
her home upon the farm which Mr. Clark had taken up and which was known
for many years as the Ransom Clark donation claim. She was given a
place in the government wagon from Wallula to Walla Walla and her first
night in the latter place was spent in the fort. The following morning
she was driven out to her claim and remained there for two weeks.
She then returned to Portland and, after the birth of her daughter
the following summer, she took up her permanent home on the claim in
Walla Walla county. Soon after doing so she received a letter from her
Portland lawyer advising her to sell her claim for two hundred and
seventy-five dollars and abandon the idea of developing it. However,
she disregarded this advice and continued to reside upon the farm with
her children. On the 23d of May, 1861, she married Almos H. Reynolds.
She was the earliest pioneer woman residing in Walla Walla county and
the fact that she had been privileged to witness more of the growth
of the northwest than others seemed to give her an added interest in
everything pertaining to the public welfare. She contributed much to
the upbuilding of the various institutions of the city and by reason
of her force of character and her many liberal and well advised
benefactions she was recognized as a most prominent citizen of Walla
Walla. The erection of the Young Men's Christian Association building
was made possible by a twenty thousand dollar donation from her and
after its completion she was one of the chief contributors toward
its upkeep. At the rally and jubilee held when the association had
raised the forty-five thousand dollars necessary to pay off its debt,
the speech that she made expressing her great joy in the knowledge
that the association was free of all debt will long be remembered by
all who heard her. She was also a loyal friend and patron of Whitman
College, contributing generously at various times to the support of
the institution and paying off a debt of six thousand dollars on the
girls' dormitory, which is named in her honor Reynolds Hall. She was a
woman of the highest ideals and also had the keenness of intellect and
strength of character to realize her ideals, and the memory of Lettice
J. Reynolds will long be held in honor in Walla Walla.
To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Almos H. Reynolds were born two sons:
Harry A., who was born October 14, 1863; and Allen H., who was born
January 24, 1869.
JOHN R. GOSE, M. D.
It is believed that few men possess the ability to attain success
along both professional and agricultural lines, but Dr. John R. Gose,
living on section 33, township 8 north, range 37 east, in Walla Walla
county, has made a creditable name in both connections. He was born
in Missouri, November 16, 1861, and is a son of John M. and Hannah J.
(McQuown) Gose, the former a native of Kentucky, while the latter was
born in Virginia. In 1864 they removed westward, settling at Boise,
Idaho, where they spent the winter, and in the following spring they
arrived in Walla Walla county, Washington, taking up their abode upon a
ranch, where they are still living. They are one of the most venerable
couples of the county, the father having attained the age of ninety-one
years, while his wife is eighty-five years of age. In their family were
seven children, of whom three are living.
Dr. Gose was not yet four years of age when his parents crossed the
plains, so that he was reared upon the western frontier. He pursued
his education in the schools of Walla Walla county and after having
completed his preliminary course he determined to enter upon the
practice of medicine and with that end in view returned to the east,
matriculating in Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, from which
in due course of time he was graduated. He then returned to Washington
to engage in the practice of his profession, which he followed in
Pomeroy, Garfield county, for fourteen years and also in the city of
Walla Walla for three years. He then withdrew from the active practice
of his profession, in which he had won substantial success and made for
himself a most creditable name. Removing to a ranch near Dixie, he has
since devoted his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits
and has proved most capable in the management and conduct of his
farming interests.
In 1889 Dr. Gose was united in marriage to Miss Minnie S. Aldrich, a
representative of one of the old pioneer families of this section of
the state. She was born upon the farm where she now resides and is a
daughter of Newton and Anna M. (Shoemaker) Aldrich. Her father was a
native of the state of New York, while her mother was born in Iowa.
Mr. Aldrich came to Washington in 1861 and was here married to Miss
Shoemaker, who had crossed the plains in 1864. They took up their abode
upon the farm which is now occupied by Dr. and Mrs. Gose and upon that
place they spent their remaining days. At the time of his death Mr.
Aldrich owned seven hundred and twenty acres of land, of which Mrs.
Gose inherited three hundred and sixty acres. He had gained a most
substantial place among the agriculturists of this section of the state
and his genuine personal worth had endeared him to all with whom he
came in contact. To him and his wife were born three children: Mrs.
Gose; Ida, who has departed this life; and Clara E., who is the wife of
G. L. Bailey.
To Dr. and Mrs. Case have been born five children: Roberta L., who is
a college graduate; Kenneth A., who is living upon the home ranch;
Carl, who has passed away; Anna M., who is a high school graduate; and
John Newton, who is now attending high school. Dr. Gose belongs to
the Modern Woodmen camp in Dixie. His political allegiance is given
to the republican party and while he was a resident of Pomeroy he
served for two terms as mayor of that city. Mrs. Gose belongs to the
Congregational church, in the work of which she takes an active and
helpful part. They are very prominent people in this section of the
state and the hospitality of the best homes is freely accorded them.
They have a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of
their acquaintance and they are both representatives of worthy pioneer
families of the northwest, having resided in this section of the
country for more than half a century. They have therefore witnessed the
greater part of the growth and development of Walla Walla county, have
seen tiny hamlets grow into prosperous cities, wild land converted into
productive farms and all the natural resources of the country utilized
for the benefit of man. Their aid and influence are always given on the
side of progress and improvement and they advocate as well all those
high standards which work for civic betterment.
CHARLES E. NYE.
Charles E. Nye, who is engaged in the harness and saddlery business in
Walla Walla, winning for himself a creditable position in commercial
circles, was born in Germany on the 3d of June, 1848, his parents being
John N. and Elizabeth (Baker) Nye. They came to the United States in
1853, when he was a little lad of but five years, the family home being
established in Marietta, Ohio, where the parents resided until they
were called to their final rest, the father following the occupation of
farming as a life work.
Charles E. Nye was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm and
early became familiar with the work of the fields, to which he directed
his attention during the summer months, while in the winter seasons he
attended the common schools of the neighborhood. When his textbooks
were put aside he found employment in a harness and saddlery shop at
Marietta, Ohio, where he served a regular apprenticeship, and at the
age of twenty-one years he started for the west, following the advice
of Horace Greeley. He worked as a journeyman at his trade in Kansas,
Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, California and Oregon, thus working his
way westward by successive stages until he reached the Pacific coast.
In Oregon he was for a time engaged in business on his own account,
conducting a harness and saddlery establishment at The Dalles. In 1878
he was in Walla Walla but did not locate permanently until 1883, at
which time he engaged in business independently here and for the past
thirty-five years he has been a dominant factor in the trade circles of
the city. In all of his commercial relations he has been actuated by a
progressive spirit and the excellence of the goods which he handles and
the work he turns out has insured him a liberal patronage.
In 1890 Mr. Nye was married to Miss Tennie Brown, of Walla Walla. Mr.
Nye is well known and popular in fraternal circles, holding membership
in Blue Mountain Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M.; Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287,
B. P. O. E.; and Columbia Lodge, No. 90, K. P. He is also a member of
the Walla Walla Commercial Club and cooperates in all of its plans and
measures for the upbuilding of the city and the extension of its trade
relations. His political allegiance is given the republican party,
which he has supported since reaching adult age. His long residence
in Walla Walla has made him largely familiar with its history and
with its commercial development he has been closely and prominently
associated. Those who know him, and he has a wide acquaintance, speak
of him in terms of high regard, for he has been found thoroughly
reliable in business; loyal and patriotic in citizenship and faithful
in friendship. His life work has been intelligently directed and he has
always continued in the line in which he embarked as a young tradesman,
never dissipating his energies over a broad field but so concentrating
his efforts and attention that substantial results have accrued.
W. D. LYMAN.
W. D. Lyman, author of this history, is a "native son of the Golden
West," having been born at Portland, Oregon, on December 1, 1812.
His father and mother, Horace Lyman and Mary Denison Lyman, came
to California around Cape Horn, in a sailing ship from New York,
in 1848-9. After a few months in California in the midst of the
excitements of the gold discoveries they removed to Portland, then a
straggling village on the edge of the dense forest which bordered the
Willamette river. It is recalled by the children of the family that
their mother told them about how in those early days she had heard the
cries of the wolves and cougars in about the location of the present
Portland Hotel and other stately structures of the present city.
As a boy Professor Lyman went with his parents to Dallas in Polk
county, Oregon, and then to Forest Grove, Oregon, where his father was
for a number of years a professor of mathematics, and later of history
and rhetoric, in Pacific University, a pioneer college of those early
days. Brought up in those pioneer surroundings, in the midst of the
unconventional life and the sublime scenery of his native state, he
received a permanent impress which has led him throughout his life to
find his greatest interest in travel, mountain-climbing, investigation
of the native and pioneer life of Old Oregon, and in writing and
lecturing upon themes drawn from those early experiences. The old
Oregon of Professor Lyman's boyhood was typically American--free,
unconventional and sincere, and the wilderness about and the stimulus
to adventure and enterprise implanted in the minds and spirits of
the boys and girls of that pioneer region, as it has throughout the
great west, is a certain union of the romantic and imaginative with
the practical which has resulted in placing the Pacific states in the
forefront of American communities.
[Illustration: W. D. LYMAN]